Trevor Vaughan's hat-trick sent Dundalk back to the top of the table as they demolished Wexford Youths in this eircom League Division 1 game at Ferrycarrig Park.
Centre-forward Trevor Vaughan handed Dundalk the half-time lead they needed following some indifferent form of late.
A much changed Wexford, which included three of last Sunday's Cup winning youths side, played with great commitment through the opening thirty minutes coming closest to scoring after nine minutes when Shane Dempsey powered a shot just over the top.
Dundalk may not have had it all their own way early on but in a nine minute spell between the 34th and 43rd minutes they virtually decided the destination of the points.
The Dundalk striker Vaughan certainly punished slack marking by the homesides back four when he rose to a David Crawley free-kick to power a header into the top right hand corner of the net after thirty-four minutes. Three minutes later he should have had a second but he pulled his shot outside the right-hand post.
Wexford Youths were left to regret slack marking once again seven minutes later when Jamie Duffy picked up a pass, unmarked, to drill a rising 20-metre shot to the net.
Some clever play from Vaughan in the 43rd minute saw him beat a tackle to chip beautifully over keeper Russell into the top right hand corner of the net leaving his side sitting comfortable with a 3-0 interval lead.
Vaughan completed his hat-trick on 53 minutes when his chip from some forty metres found its way to the net off the outstretched hands of keeper Russell who had advanced off his line.
Substitute Paul Smyth made it five when he headed home a Jamie Duffy cross on 79 minutes.
Wexford Youths: Jason Russell, Stuart Lawlor, Anthony Russell, Paul Rossiter (Conor Wallace 84), Garrett Larkin (Kyle Dempsey 74), Shane Dempsey, Keith Kearney, Marty Kelly (Ricky Fox 62) , Patsy Malone, Danny Furlong, Gavin Doyle.
Dundalk: Chris Bennion, Paul Marney, Shane Grimes, David Crawley, Ben Whelehan (Tiernan Mulvennan 57), Ian Ryan (Stefan McKevitt 78), Jamie Duffy, David Cassidy, Trevor Vaughan, Robert Martin, David O'Connor (Paul Smyth 45).
